It shouldn’t surprise any wrestling fan to find out that there’s a link between bodybuilding and pro wrestling. After all, many wrestlers devote countless hours to the gym not just to be strong enough to pick up another human being, but also in order to have bodies that are aesthetically pleasing enough to make them good candidates for being the face of the company.
As a result, there are a number of pro wrestlers who have competitive bodybuilding in their backgrounds, even if they didn’t find success in that realm. Moreover, some fans might find themselves surprised by just who has gotten into bodybuilding.
10 Lex Luger
Lex Luger, however, should not surprise anyone, considering he’s one of the oft-mentioned performers who’s better known for his muscles than he is for being a quality wrestler.
Luger left WCW in 1992 to work for Vince McMahon, but not in the expected way. Rather, Luger was supposed to be the star of McMahon’s fledgling World Bodybuilding Federation and even co-hosted the weekly show WBF BodyStars. But a motorcycle accident left Luger injured, and by the time he healed up the Federation went under.
9 Dana Brooke
A staple of the WWE main roster since 2016, Dana Brooke originally started out specializing in gymnastics, but injuries forced her to pivot to another passion in bodybuilding.
Starting out as an amateur, Brooke became a champion in the National Physique Committee but was eventually certified as a pro bodybuilder by the International Federation of Bodybuilding of Fitness. Since then, Brooke has competed in the Arnold Classic numerous times, most notable in 2015 and 2016 -- after signing with WWE.
8 Sting
One of the great babyface stars in 1980s and 1990s WCW, it may surprise fans to find out that Sting didn’t grow up with a love for pro wrestling. Rather, by the time he entered the world of pro wrestling, Sting was a competitive bodybuilder who co-owned a gym.
Sting only entered pro wrestling when an aspiring performer came into his gym to recruit people to form a group with him. It was then that he checked out a WWE show and saw potential in the endeavor, going on to tag with the future Ultimate Warrior as a tag team called The Blade Runners.
7 Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn made her WWE debut in the all-female third season of the game show NXT in 2010, where she would win the competition and go on to become Divas Champion before her release in 2014.
Before that, however, Katilyn’s focus was on bodybuilding and fitness modeling. Starting that career in 2006 at the age of 19, Kaitlyn would win a number of championships during her time, including coming in at fifth place in the Arnold Classic.
6 Tony Atlas
WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas is best known for his work in the company during the 1980s and early 1990s, where he became a tag team champ alongside Rocky Johnson.
However, Atlas is an accomplished bodybuilder, too, who’s credited as a three-time Mr. USA as well as a two-time Mr. Universe. His accomplishments in the sport haven’t gone unrecognized, either, as Tony Atlas was inducted into the World Bodybuilding Guild’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
5 Batista
Dave Bautista’s teenage years were hectic and involved getting into a lot of trouble with the law. But he also lifted weights at the time, and as he became an adult he worked as a bouncer while pursuing a career in professional bodybuilding.
It didn’t pan out, but he realized his build made him a great candidate for pro wrestling, which was experiencing a boom in popularity at the time. After receiving a rejection from the WCW Power Plant, Batista didn’t give up, and instead joined Afa’s Wild Samoan Training Center.
4 John Cena
John Cena has been in the wrestling game since 1999 and climbed the ranks to become the face of pro wrestling, but fans might not know that he initially started as a bodybuilder. Having been lifting weights when he was 12, Cena eventually started attending a gym as a teenager, where many there convinced him he could be a successful bodybuilder.
After going to California and taking part in bodybuilding competitions, Cena would end up pursuing pro wrestling instead, debuting for Ultimate Pro Wrestling, which would lead to him signing to WWE.
3 Brian Cage
Looking at Brian Cage, one might think he’s just another immobile big man, but he’s actually one of the most agile hulks in pro wrestling. Cage was initially a much smaller competitor when he debuted in 2005, but soon got interested in bodybuilding in the early 2010s, competing five times over the course of the decade and even winning a competition in 2013.
However, the difficulty of balancing both a competitive bodybuilding and pro wrestling career forced Cage to step away from the former.
2 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss’ bodybuilding background is actually a pretty unique story as far as wrestlers are concerned. Bliss grew up participating in all sorts of athletics but struggled with anorexia as a teenager.
While recovering, her trainers told her she was going to compete in a bodybuilding competition in six weeks. Alexa Bliss credits bodybuilding for saving her life, as her diet forced her to get used to eating food again. From there, Bliss ended up competing in the Arnold Classic, and got certified as a pro at age 20.
1 Triple H
To many fans, Triple H very much seems like “a wrestling guy,” considering he’s worked his way up to becoming a major figure in the business. But before he entered wrestling, Triple H was a bodybuilder, having started at age 14 and winning the 1988 Mr. Teenage New Hampshire at age 19.
But this bodybuilding career was motivated by pro wrestling, as he wanted to look like the wrestlers he saw on TV. Eventually, young Trips would find a way into pro wrestling when he started training with Killer Kowalski in 1992.